Apparatus for removing waste from a blowing room machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for removing waste from a blowing room machine incorporating a work zone and a collecting compartment arranged neighboring the work zone, the work zone and collecting compartment conjointly being enclosed in a practically airtight fashion. The work zone is operatively connected in flow communication with the suction side of a ventilator or blower through the agency of a pneumatic transport conduit for cleaned fibers, there also being provided at the blowing room machine an infeed opening for the fibers which are to be cleaned. The collecting compartment is equipped with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, each of such openings are controlled by a respective shutoff element. The shutoff element of the air outlet opening is connected with the suction side of a further ventilator or blower and means are provided in order to periodically open and close both of the shutoff elements.

United States Patent Ferri Dec. 30, 1975 [54] APPARATUS FOR REMOVING WASTE FROM A BLOWING ROOM MACHINE [75] Inventor: Johann Walter Ferri, Uster,

Switzerland [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 412,660 12/1966 Switzerland 19/107 Primary ExaminerDorsey Newton Attorney, Agent, or FirmWerner W. Kleeman [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for removing waste from a blowing room machine incorporating a work zone and a collecting compartment arranged neighboring the work zone, the work zone and collecting compartment conjointly being enclosed in a practically airtight fashion.

June 28, 1973 Switzerland..; 9413/73 The work zone is operatively connected in flow communication with the suction side of a ventilator or [52] US. Cl 19/200; 19/107 blower through the agency of a pneumatic transport [51] Int. Cl. D02J 7/00 conduit for cleaned fibers, there also being provided [58] Field of Search ..19/107, 205, 90, 93, 200; at the blowing room machine an infeed opening for 15/30] the fibers which are to be cleaned. The collecting compartment is equipped with an air inlet opening and [56] References Cited an air outlet opening, each of such openings are con- UNITED STATES PATENTS trolled by a respective shutoff element. The shutoff 3 042 976 7/1962 Barnett 19/90 element of the air outlet opening is connected with the 3 471 890 10/1969 Ramomzi :IIIIIIIITI5/30l SuctiOn Side of a further Ventilator blower and 3:486:30) 12/1969 Wild 19 107 x means are Provided in Order to Periodically p and l bthfth htffl t. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS c 056 o e S u o 6 men 943,098 5/1956 Germany 19 205 8 Clam, 1 Drawmg l,099,531 l/1968 United Kingdom 19/107 U.S. Patent Dec.30,1975 3,928,892

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING WASTE FRONI-A BLOWING ROOM MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for the removal of waste from a blowing room machine. i

In the blowing room for textile fibers, especially cotton fibers, it is conventional practice at the present time to pneumatically transport the fibers from the one to the other of the series arranged machines. Thus the individual machines are operatively interconnected with one another by sections of a transport conduit. The downstream located end of the transport conduit is operatively connected with the suction side ofa blower or ventilator which produces a transport air current at the individual conduit sections.

While the fibers of the working or work zone of each machine essentially pass therethrough under the action of the mechanical cleaning elements, the waste which is separated out of the fibers by the action of suitable elements, is deposited into a collecting compartment or chamber arranged beneath the work zone and in which collecting compartment, like in the work zone, there prevails a negative pressure. This waste or waste mate rial is periodically removed from the machine housing by means of a door which provides free access to the waste collecting compartment.

The negative pressure which prevails internally of the machine during its operation, and which also prevents the escape of dust out of the machine through cracks at the housing, in many instances requires an interruption inoperation during the time that the waste is to be removed. Opening of the cleaning door whilethe machine is still operating can cause an air current to flow through the collecting compartment and the workz-one into the upstream situated section of the transport conduit and which can disturb both the uniform transport of the fibers through the transport conduit as well as the working process which is being carried on in the machine. However, of even greater significance is the fact that owing to the foregoing the waste material which is located in the collecting compartment is: at least partially sucked-back into the work zone and can again commingle with the fiber stream.

If the operation of the pneumatic fiber transport system is interrupted in order to remove the waste from the machine, then, as a practical matter this constitutes an interruption in the operation of all other machines which are connected with such system. Apart from'the rather self-evident drawback of the interruption in the production, it is additionally to be appreciated that removal of the waste out of the collecting compartment through the cleaning door constitutes very unpleasant manual work and in some instances is dangerous to the health of the workers. As a practical matter it is impossible to prevent that dust and fine fibers will be blown around. i

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hence it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for the removal of waste from a blowing room machine which is not associated with the aforementioned drawbacks and limitations of the prior art proposals.

Another and more specific object of the present invention aims at an improved cnstruetion of apparatus 2 which enables automatically removing the waste from a blowing room machine or the like.

Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the apparatus of this development for the removal of waste from a blowing room machine having a work zone and a collecting compartment neighboring the work zone and together therewith conjointly practically being enclosed in airtight fashion, and wherein the work zone is connected via a pneumatic transport conduit or duct for the cleaned fibers with the suction side of a blower, and further wherein there is provided an infeed open ing for the fibers to be cleaned, is manifested by the features that the collecting compartment is provided with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening. Both the air inlet opening and the air outlet opening are controlled by a respective shutoff or closure element, the shutoff element of the air outlet opening being operatively connected with the: suction side of a further blower, and means are provided in order to periodically open and close both of the shutoff elements.

This construction of apparatus permits removal of the waste from the blowing room machine during the time that this machine is in operation as well as also during the time that the fiber transport system is in operation. The fact that this is possible when using a pneumatic system, and without disturbing the transport or conveying of the fibers, is predicated upon the features that the pressure conditions in the machine and in any event in the work zone decisive for the transport of the fibers are not changed during the sucking-off of the waste out of the collecting compartment. The collecting compartment has delivered thereto through the agency of the air inlet opening approximately the same quantity of air as is sucked-off together with the waste by means of the air outlet opening.

Since the waste can be pneumatically removed there is not only dispensed with the need to carry out any manual work in this regard at the machine but also there is avoided the dust disturbance which arises due to the transport and deposit of the waste. Moreover, the apparatus of this development simultaneously atfords an increase in production, on the one hand, owing to the fact that there are no longer required any interruptions in operation for the removal of the waste and, on the other hand, because the waste, if desired, can be directly delivered to a location where it can be further processed.

The apparatus preferably constitutes part of a pneumatic system, by means of which the waste can be alternately removed from one of a number of series connected blowing room machines. Depending upon the nature of the machine and the quality of the waste material, such can be delivered to a predetermined deposit location of a series or battery of such locations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DETAILED DESCRIPTION o THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I Describing now the drawing, it isto be understood that reference numeral generally designates a blowing room machine which, for instance, can bc constitutcd by a socalled roller clearing apparatus. Within a work or working zone 4 of the machine 2 there are provided appropriate mechanical cleaning elements, such as for instance a cleaning roll or roller 6 and a grate 8 arranged. beneath such cleaning roll. Furthermore, beneath the work zone 4 a collecting compartment or chamber 10 for waste is provided within the machine 2. The collectingcompartmen t 10 contains a catch or receiving container 12 possessing a substantially vat-shaped cross-section, the container 12 being bounded in its lengthwise extent by oppositely located side walls 14 and 16 of the machine housing 18. The machine housing 18 encloses both thework zone 4 and the collecting compartment 10 completely and in a practically airtight manner.

Atlocation 20 of the work zone 4 of the machine 2 there opens an infeed or delivery conduit 22 which is operatively connected with a suitable opener machine, for instance a blending bale opener 24. i

On the'other hand, the work zone 4 is connected at opening 26 with a transport conduit or duct 28 which, if desired, can be connected through the agency of further not particularly illustrated blowing room'machines with the suction side of a ventilator or blower 30. Before or even if desired after the blower 30 there is provided a likewise not particularly illustrated and conventional fiber separator.

Under the action of the blower 30 there is generated within the transport duct or conduit 28 a negative pressure which propagates also into the machine housing 18 as well as into the infeed conduit or duct 22. Accordingly in the conduits 22 and 28 there are formed transport air currents which, on the one hand, deliver the fibers from the blending bale opener 24 to the machine 2 and, on the other hand, suck-off at the opening 26 the at least partially cleaned fibers after passing through the work zone 4 and deliver such via the conduit 28 to the next destination.

The waste or waste material which penetrates through the grate 8 during the cleaning of the fibers drops 'into the substantially vat-shaped container 12 provided within the collecting compartment 10 and in which container 12 such waste then deposits.

Now in order to render possible the automatic removal of the waste material which has collected in the collecting compartment 10 and the container 12 thereof, respectively, the side wall 14 of the machine housing is provided with an air inlet opening 32,

whereas the housing side wall 16, which is equipped with an access door 17 at the region of the collecting compartment 10, possesses an air outlet opening 34 which is provided at such door. The air inlet opening 32 is operatively flow connected via an obliquely or' inclined extending connection line or stud 36 with a shutoff valve 38 equipped with an air inlet 40. On the other hand, at the air outlet opening 34 there is operatively connected through the agency of a connection line or stud 42a a shutoff valve 44. This shutoff valve 44 is operatively connected through the agency of a flexible conduit section, which has merely been schematically indicated by reference character 60, and a subsequently connected first pipe conduit 42 with the suction side of a blower or ventilator 46. A suitable fiber separatorl47 isarranged between the shutoff valve 44 and the blower46, this separator 47 being connected via a further or second conduit 42 with blower 46 and, if desired, after the blower there can be arranged a dust separator or dust filter of conventional design and which therefore has not been particularly illustrated.

The shutoff valves 38 and 44 are equipped with actuation elements 48 and'50 respectively, arranged in a suitable current control circuit, schematically indicated by reference character 70, and render possible the opening and closing of these valves at the same time or with a slight time-delay. Thus, when the valve 38 is opened, then, for instance ambient air is sucked-up out of the machine room through the air inlet 40, the connection stud 36 and the opening 32 into the collecting compartment 10, and specifically owing to the fact that within this collecting compartment there prevails a negative pressure. Consequently, at the connection stud or line 36 there appears an air current or air flow which, owing to the inclination of the connection stud 36, is directed towards the floor of the container 12. On the other hand, at the outlet 34, following opening of the shutoff valveor shutoff element 44, there occurs a flow in the direction of the conduit 42 and conduit 42. This occurs because the blower 46 is designed to produce within the conduits 42 and 42' an (absolute) lower pressure than that pressure which normally prevails within the collecting compartment 10.

Hence, in the collecting compartment 10 there is now formed an air current which traverses therethrough from the opening 32 to the opening 34 thereof, entraining waste material which has collected in the container 12 and conveying such waste material out of this container through the conduit 42.

As tests have shown this flow within the collecting compartment 10 does not-influence the flow conditions which prevail at the work zone 4 between the openings 20 and 26 nor the cleaning process which is being carried out, and the negative pressure in the work zone remains practically constant. The valves 38 and 44 are again closed after the expiration ofa certain amount of time, for instance 60 seconds, and specifically, once again either simultaneously or, however, the closing operation for the valve 44 is carried out with a certain time-delay relative to the closing of the valve 38.

Since the periods of time between the individual opening phases of the valves and the cleaning phases of the machine can be relatively long, it is possible, during these periods of time to employ the blower 46 for cieaning other machines. Thus, for instance, a number of blowing room machines can be connected in series in the throughpassage or flow direction of the fibers, starting with the opening machine 24 and ending with the machines which are arranged after the roller cleaner 2, at which there can be connected the same suction system. Furthermore, each machine or group of machines can have operatively associated therewith its own fiber separator (not shown) which is connected in parallel with the further separators in front of the blower 46 and through which there is guided the flow during the cleaning phase of the corresponding machine. In this way it is possible to separately collect according to quality the varying qualities of waste materials which are collected from the individual machines or groups of machines.

Instead of blowing into the surroundings the transport air at the pressure side of the blower after passage through a dust cellar or another dust separator, it is also possible to conduct the air arriving from the blower back to the apparatus. In this way the shutoff elements controlling the air inlet openings of the apparatuses which possibly are connected to the same removal system can be connected by a pipe conduit system with the dust separator.

To achieve a rapid and complete emptying of the collecting compartment it has been found to be advantageous to construct the vat-shaped receiving or catch container 12 so as to possess at least two oppositely situated inclined side walls l2aalong which the waste material can slide towards an elongate floor surface. The ends of the receiving container 12, which can be open, thus confront the air inlet opening 32 and the air outlet opening 34 respectively.

In order to insure for the operational reliability of the apparatus and particularly the functionality of the shutoff valves 38 and 44 which are decisive for such operational reliability, and to maintain such operational reliability notwithstanding the affects of the dust and fibers, it is advantageous to construct these valves as hose valves of basically conventional design.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereot but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for removing waste from a blowing room machine, said blowing room machine comprising a work zone, a collecting compartment for the waste arranged neighboring said work zone, and means for conjointly enclosing in an essentially airtight manner said work zone and said collecting compartment, a blower having a suction side, a pneumatic transport conduit for conveying cleaned fibers operatively connecting in flow communication the work zone with the suction side of said blower, means defining an infeed Opening for the fibers to be cleaned communicating with said work zone, means defining an air inlet opening for the collecting compartment, means defining an air outlet opening for said collecting compartment, a first shutoff element for controlling the air inlet open- 6 ing, means connecting said first shutoff element with said air inlet opening, a second shutoff element for controlling the air outlet opening, means connecting said second shutoff element with said air outlet opening, a further blower having a suction side, means for connecting said second shutoff element with the suction side of said further blower, and means for periodically opening and closing both. of said shutoff elements.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said air inlet opening is arranged opposite said air outlet opening.

3. Thc apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said collecting compartment has a floor, said means defining said air inlet opening comprising an end of a connecting stud directed towards the floor of said collecting compartment, said connecting stud constituting said means connecting said first shutoff element with said air inlet opening.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said collecting compartment is provided with a substantially elongate, vat-shaped receiving container having a pair of oppositely situated walls, said air inlet opening and said air outlet opening are located at the respective oppositely situated walls of said receiving container.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the blowing room machine is provided with a cleaning door, and the air outlet opening is provided in said cleaning door.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for connecting said second shutoff element with said suction side of said further blower includes at least a first pipe conduit and a flexible conduit section, said flexible conduit section connecting said second shutoff element with said first pipe conduit.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said shutoff elements comprise hose valves.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for connecting said second shutoff element with the suction side of said further blower includes a separator operatively connected between the second shutoff element associated with the air outlet opening and said further blower. 

1. An apparatus for removing waste from a blowing room machine, said blowing room machine comprising a work zone, a collecting compartment for the waste arranged neighboring said work zone, and means for conjointly enclosing in an essentially airtight manner said work zone and said collecting compartment, a blower having a suction side, a pneumatic transport conduit for conveying cleaned fibers operatively connecting in flow communication the work zone with the suction side of said blower, means defining an infeed opening for the fibers to be cleaned communicating with said work zone, means defining an air inlet opening for the collecting compartment, means defining an air outlet opening for said collecting compartment, a first shutoff element for controlling the air inlet opening, means connecting said first shutoff element with said air inlet opening, a second shutoff element for controlling the air outlet opening, means connecting said second shutoff element with said air outlet opening, a further blower having a suction side, means for connecting said second shutoff element with the suction side of said further blower, and means for periodically opening and closing both of said shutoff elements.
 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said air inlet opening is arranged opposite said air outlet opening.
 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said collecting compartment has a floor, said means defining said air inlet opening comprising an end of a connecting stud directed towards the floor of said collecting compartment, said connecting stud constituting said means connecting said first shutoff element with said air inlet opening.
 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said collecting compartment is provided with a substantially elongate, vat-shaped receiving container having a pair of oppositely situated walls, said air inlet opening and said air outlet opening are located at the respective oppositely situated walls of said receiving container.
 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the blowing room machine is provided with a cleaning door, and the air outlet opening is provided in said cleaning door.
 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for connecting said second shutoff element with said suction side of said further blower includes at least a first pipe conduit and a flexible conduit section, said flexible conduit section connecting said second shutoff element with said first pipe conduit.
 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said shutoff elements comprise hose valves.
 8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for connecting said second shutoff element with the suction side of said further blower includes a separator operatively connected between the second shut-off element associated with the air outlet opening and said further blower. 